Gareth Wheeler

But when the first, when the whistle goes, like, you need to be match fit.

You need to be sharp.

Players take time to get back to full strength, returning from injuries as well.

So that's where my real concern is, is just the sheer number of unknowns.

I think that it should affect the way that Jesse Marsh picks his 26.

We'll see how that plays out tonight.

I think they're fair.

The thing about, this is the worst group in World Cup history.

And it's no disrespect to the teams, it's disrespect to a 48-team World Cup, which is, on the surface of it, ludicrous.

Like, the group stage is going to be a little bit of a slog.

Like, you can chalk off 18 teams right away that you probably wouldn't miss at this World Cup.

Now, the knockout phase of 32 has the potential to be absolutely brilliant, so that's kind of the trade-off there.

But

I've kind of changed the way that I've looked at things.

I originally thought that game one at home in Canada against Bosnia and Herzegovina, like that's a must win.

But because of all of these unknowns, I just think it's a can't lose.

I think that you got to pick up a point in that game.

Qatar is your second match.

The games actually line up pretty good for Canada.

Qatar, you're traveling across the country, which is not a whole lot of fun on short rest.